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Friday, November 19, 2010

Paratha

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While we were in India, Bob and I were entertained by three young families who opened their homes and kitchens to us. These were atypical families and the meals we shared with them were those that would be found on the tables of the upper middle class. They were all marvelous hosts and I learned a great deal about the Indian kitchen during visits in their homes. One of our hostesses was a cooking instructor who loved to share her knowledge with other people. She was a woman with a mission. Most visitors to India don't realize that an average Indian homemaker spends at least a third of her day preparing meals for her family. She wanted to help reduce that time by simplifying classic recipes and techniques. The Indian kitchen bears no resemblance to yours or mine. Freshness is of paramount importance, so refrigerators are quite small. Fruits and vegetables are purchased daily from vendors who bring produce to the homes for selection. Meats and dairy products are purchased in the same fashion. That means that the Indian kitchen is also very seasonal. There are no peas if peas are not in season. The kitchens in which the cooking is done are Spartan. The ones I saw did not have built-in ovens or cooktops. Meals were cooked on portable gas burners or in small ovens that were set on countertops. Each of the kitchens had an auxillary table, a running bank of lower cabinets and a large sink. Family meals were always served in the dining room. Our hostesses all had help to assist with cooking and serving when they had guests. The help was generally male, though the children's nannies might be called on to cook treasured family recipes. While members of the family wore shoes, the kitchen help and servers did not. It was an interesting distinction. We quickly learned that curry is a sauce, not a powder and that masala is a combination of spices that can very from one region to another. I personally learned that the breads of India are the glory of its tables. Served hot from the grill, these breads can make grown men weep and put women on perpetual diets. They are really lovely. Today's recipe is for an Indian flatbread called paratha. You may have seen it stuffed. This is a much simpler version of that bread. I hope you'll give it a try.

I just love all I am learning from you. I do love the idea of shopping each day for meats and vegetables, as they do in Europe also. This bread looks wonderful. I would consider the best part of a trip being in a home and living a daily life with the people of the country you are visiting. That is priceless.

I think I've mentioned the wonderful Indian instructor that taught classes for me when I directed the cooking school. She never arrived with any pre-made herb and spice mix. Consequently, I had recipes that would sometimes contain close to 30 different ing. I had a special grinder set aside just for preparing those mixes. You are inspiring me to get out the old grinder and put some stews and curries + paratha on our table this winter!

What a wonderful opportunity to observe the rhythms of the kitchen in a different culture. As you show, there are so many things that can be learned about how people eat and live. The paratha is beautiful. I'm continuing to experiment with breads, so I've put this on my list.

the discussion of kitchen size brought back a memory of Korea. our battalion MKT (mobile kitchen trailer) was the size of the Extreme Home Make-over bus, and it took a truck-load of food to make each meal, and you had a truck-load of garbage when it was done. The ROKs (Republic of Korea army) however, cooked for the same number of people out of two pots: a huge penitentiary-sized pot of rice and a pot of stir-fried veggies. Instead of plastic plates and plastic forks, they all used their tin canteen cup and a pair of chopsticks that they all carried with. Fed the same number of folks with 1/10th the footprint and 1/100th the waste. never failed to impress me.

I have been meaning to read all your posts about your trip to India. I love their cuisine. This reminds me of the flour tortilla that is a staple in our Mexican kitchens. But what I like about this recipe is the amounts of spices and flavor.

I don't think I've had this type of Indian flatbread - so duly noted. When my aunt and uncle lived in India they ahd all sorts of help- it seemed to be required and they were (at first) a little embarrassed by it.

We love parathas! This bread is extremely popular over here in Malaysia. Everyone from all races loves parathas. We eat it with some dhal curry or fish curry. Absolutely yummy! And it usually goes with a cup of "teh tarik", freshly brewed tea with milk and sugar added, and "pulled", meaning, pouring it from one cup to another, from as high as one arm can raised to the lowest the other arm can go, several times until the tea turns foamy and frothy! Delicious with parathas!

Mary,It is such a privilege to have you visit my blog:) and praise it. Just saying I love your blog would be an undersatement.Your blog is a true gem,I love the stories/food you have here and the tiger sighting brought back memories of our tiger sighting at Corbett National Park in Uttar Pradesh,India:) I am coming back for more....

I LOVE this recipe...it turns out I used to actually MAKE it back in my "hippie" days (LOL not HIPPY days). Some day when I'm through all the "stuff" that's going on in my world right now I hope to share some of OUR "Indian" foods on my blog - I have to get permission actually

What a wonderful opportunity to stay with three different families! I really enjoyed reading about the Indian kitchen...it's so interesting to see the cuisines and customs of other cultures! The paratha looks perfect, Mary!

Paratha is one of our local famous street food. We can easily have it at anywhere anytime. It only cost about $0.60 to $1.00 per piece over here. Making it at home is fun! Hope you're having a fabulous weekend, Mary.Kristy

Loved the way you described this , I cooked a version of parantha we normally eat in north India from Makki (corn meal), have a look - you might like it - http://onecreativekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/12/makki-methi-parantha.html

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